Cathy Moran, Esq.

Head of Moran Law Group

moran_cathy
Biography

Cathy Moran has headed her own small firm Moran Law Group in Mountain View, California, for nearly 30 years. Family law and tax issues as they play out in bankruptcy are areas of particular interest to Cathy.

Articles by Cathy Moran, Esq.

moran_cathy
May 21, 2023
For a system that is supposed to rehabilitate personal finances and set debtors back on their feet, Chapter 13 nationwide is schizophrenic about on- going retirement savings, divided about whether post petition contributions to retirement accounts preclude confirmation of a Chapter 13 plan. Too many courts, in my opinion, come down barring voluntary provisions for old age for the 5...
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moran_cathy
May 7, 2023
The no man’s land between the mortgage due date and late payment is a persistent trouble spot for Chapter 13 practitioners.  For example, are there arrears when the case is filed during the grace period and the payment made before it was late? In Borre, Judge Ronald Sargis of ED CA said no. He held that the payment was not...
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moran_cathy
March 12, 2023
Lien perfection follows state law The secret tax lien attaches to all of a taxpayer’s property of any kind, wherever located. However, a tax lien is perfected against other creditors only by compliance with state laws on perfection of liens. AND during the pendency of a bankruptcy case, counsel only has to deal with the properly perfected tax lien. State...
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moran_cathy
November 13, 2022
Community property works differently in bankruptcy. I probably don’t have to tell you that. On the issue of assets and debts, community property is pretty straightforward. All of the community property comes into the estate upon the commencement of a bankruptcy case, even when only one spouse files. §541(a)(2). Every creditor with a right to be paid from the community...
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moran_cathy
October 30, 2022
Spending every dollar they make, and then some, is often how our Chapter 13 clients got into financial trouble. Yet Chapter 13, as practiced, validates the practice of continuing to spend 100% of each month’s income during the life of the plan. In doing so, we, as a society, squander the chance to use Chapter 13 to teach new budgeting...
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moran_cathy
August 21, 2022
If all the children in Lake Woebegon are above average, all the small businesses our clients run are quite valuable.If the Chapter 13 trustee is asking the question, anyway. I rail when the Chapter 13 trustee’s business questionnaire asks, “how much would you sell your business for.” Phrased that way, the question implicates all kinds of facts that aren’t in...
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moran_cathy
July 31, 2022
It started as a means test question: could emergency medical expenses be deemed non consumer debt. It ended up as a step back to get the bigger picture. Well seasoned bankruptcy counsel brought the fact pattern to a list serve of colleagues. The prospective debtors’ income in a small consulting corporation is declining, his health crisis raises not only income...
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moran_cathy
July 17, 2022
Mention keeping time records to a bankruptcy lawyer and you’re likely met with expressions of utter revulsion. All too many assert that the major appeal of being a bankruptcy lawyer is precisely that they don’t have to keep time. Between flat fee deals with clients, and no look fees in Chapter 13, they feel liberated from the clock and the...
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moran_cathy
May 1, 2022
Traps and grey areas abound when one spouse files bankruptcy during or after a divorce. Inattention by the non-filing spouse can result in the bankruptcy discharge of spousal claims that might actually be nondischargeable. One of those traps involves the differing treatment in bankruptcy of debts to a former spouse incurred in the course of a divorce (Bankruptcy Code §523(a)15))...
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moran_cathy
April 3, 2022
True. Most people no longer itemize under the current Tax Code. However, the amount of money involved varies and should be considered. The same very important debts that a Chapter 13 plan pays are often tax deductible. And your client is still the person who’s paying, even if the trustee writes the check. Don’t allow them to miss out on...
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